Readings: Psalms 105:1-6, 23-26, Exodus 3:1-15, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on August 31, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Preaching ones final service as pastor of a particular congregation is never an easy assignment. You are aware that whatever you say, the emotions of the moment may well swallow it up. There is so much that you wanted to say, that you should have said and could have said, but time has overtaken you and it's time to let it go.
On these occasions I'm always thankful for the lectionary, that weekly set of readings that many denominations follow. For if ever there was a chapter that seems fitting for an occasion like now it is today's suggested reading of Romans 12:9-21. This passage offers so much excellent advice for a church that is going through a time of transition. In some translations the whole paragraph is given the heading “Love”.
Be sincere in your loving. Be devoted to one another. Don't give up. Practice hospitality. Welcome all people regardless of social standing or culture. Live in harmony. Honor one another above yourselves. Shame those who oppose you by caring for them. Overcome evil with good. You could preach a sermon on any one of those!
But the verse that drew me back to itself was verse 12. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Those 3 qualities, being hopeful, patient and faithful, are just the sort of ingredients a congregation should aspire to whilst they seek a way forward for the future.
Hopeful “Be joyful in hope”
When we are suddenly placed in a situation of unexpected change the word 'joy' is not what immediately springs to mind. The one exception may be if you have won the lottery, but right now that's not what you are faced with. 'Joy' at your pastors departure may seem to be an inappropriate thing to suggest you should pursue!
So notice that this verse suggests that our joyfulness be linked to 'hope'. Hope not in what is passed, but hope in what changing circumstances can offer for the future. In his letter to the Philippian Church, Paul writes “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).
You would think that an accomplished pastor like Paul would be lifting up his achievements as an example for his flock to follow. Not so. He speaks of what had yet to be done and of how it was all simply a prelude to the glory that was in store for his life through his relationship with Jesus Christ. That's the hope he encourages us set our thoughts on. “The prize of the upward call of God in Christ-Jesus”. That is what he suggests should keep us joyful.
That we realize that this particular time we travel through, is not the defining moment of our spiritual journey. That there is a goal. That there is a prize. So don't lose sight of the goal or of the prize. It has been said that whenever God closes one door, it is because there is opening up another door that offers a fresh opportunity. Such moments are always a huge challenge!
The challenge of doing ministry in Nassau County should not be underestimated. Demographics keep shifting. It is hard for faith communities to deal with the economic realities. There are not huge crowds of folk itching to sample what mainline denominations such as the PC(USA) have to offer. It's hard for us to keep our own memberships onboard.
The time is right for exploring new ways of doing ministry. That's something that has taken place during my time with you. Sharing with other Presbyterian churches in confirmation and youth work enabled good things to happen. Youth retreats. Mission trips, like the recent one to Honduras. Adult bible studies and retreats. Things were accomplished together that we couldn't have done alone. It could be that the time is right for exploring closer permanent relationships with other congregations, maybe the sharing of a pastor or of administrative staff. That's for you to explore.
But as you do so, try to do so joyfully and hopefully. See these things, not as setbacks or compromises, but creative ways to embrace the immediate future whilst keeping your faith focused on the fact that the story neither began, nor will end with you but with 'The prize of the upward call of God in Christ-Jesus'. Be joyful in hope.
Patient “Be patient in affliction”
The Presbyterian process will certainly stretch your patience. The positive side of our system of government is that we don't have folk telling congregations who their next pastor will be. The negative side of it is that choosing the next pastor is not an easy process, either on the part of the Presbytery, the local church or any potential future pastor. I would not go as far as describing it as an 'affliction' but it is kind of quirky!
So I encourage you to be patient, to actually trust the process, and not be afraid to ask questions as things proceed in what can seem to be a laborious endeavor. The process worked in getting me to be here...so it does function, despite our misgivings.
Bear in mind that when Paul writes “Be patient in affliction” the kind of afflictions he was talking about make our complaints seem petty and inconsequential. His afflictions were things like beatings and imprisonment, the constant stress of not knowing where life may be headed next and the ever present possibility of martyrdom.
Our gospel reading for today has Jesus explaining to His closest followers, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25)
I find the second part of that verse particularly challenging. We have a tendency, both as individuals and church communities, to feel that our calling is to hold on to what we have, to maintain it, as it is, at all costs. Thus our church agendas become focused upon maintenance rather than mission. Now here is Jesus telling us that if we really want to find life, then we have to be prepared to lose it all.
How do we embrace such a 'risk-taking' philosophy? Surely it has to do with that central symbol of our faith, the cross. The cross speaks of sacrifice and service, of the laying down of ones life for others. That's not easy. Indeed whoever said that following Jesus was meant to be easy? When we consider the persecution that some of our brothers and sisters are right now facing in other lands it should cause us to view our commitment in a different framework. Our afflictions seem rather shallow and small by comparison.
We are blessed. We are free. I am not sure in our culture that we truly grasp the full implications of taking up a Cross and following our Lord. I say that, not to shame us, but rather to frame the current circumstances within a bigger picture. So be patient. Be patient with your church. Be patient with your Presbytery. Be patient with each other. Be patient with the process. Be patient with yourself.
Faithful “Be faithful in prayer.”
Nowhere in Scripture are we called to be successful. Constantly we are called to be faithful. Oftentimes the people of God fail to live like the people of God. We sing “Amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me”... to acknowledge that we have a tendency to mess things up rather than put them in order.
This scripture calls us to be faithful in prayer. Prayer is both a corporate and an individual activity. Throughout scripture the people of God are called to come together in prayer. They are also encouraged to find their own private prayer place where they can commune with God. It is not an 'either/or' but a 'both/and' situation. Be faithful in prayer.
For the entire time I have been here (and it was a statement in place long before I came here) it has been printed on the rear of your bulletins, “Ministers: All the people of the Church”. That's the kind of statement that a congregation has to live into, rather than a statement of what tends to actually happen. The reality is that often the work of a church weighs heavily on a few (so heavily that it can burn them out), they employ folk to do many things but many members don't think of themselves as ministers at all.
In this new reality into which we are transitioning, like it or not, it will be those congregations who take seriously that statement; “Ministers: All the people of the Church” that survive and thrive. Already in many lands the idea that a church has to have a full-time professional minister, and a choir director and a secretary is not the reality. In some countries where the church is growing, they don't have enough full-time ministers to go around! They are happy when one comes through town, and they are flexible enough to arrange their communions and baptisms and memberships to coincide with such visits, but the rest of the time they take care of the Kingdom business... and they are growing.
In other lands where the church is in severe decline, and I think of my past experience in Wales, the churches that are surviving best, are those where there is a commitment... not to obtaining a paid professional to take care of things, but a commitment to prayer and service and witness on the part of the people in the pews. When they can find ministers to come, or to share with other congregations, that's great, but they do not sit back and pin all their hopes on getting the right person. They recognize that they are the right people, they are the people God has called to minister, they are building the Kingdom, prayerfully and faithfully together. They pin their hopes on God and what God can do through them. I would suggest to you that moving from a 'paid staff driven' model to a 'person in the pew – all the people in the church – style of ministry' is just the kind of radical change that needs to happen within many of our congregations if they are to survive.
For such to happen requires faithfulness in prayer. It requires every person seeking a deeper and closer relationship with God. It requires being faithful in worship and service. It takes the sort of commitment Jesus was talking about when He speaks of losing our lives in order to truly find them.
So I leave you with Paul's words “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
I have greatly enjoyed serving this congregation. You have been a blessing to Yvonne and myself. Life circumstances change. Opportunities present themselves. Transitions come along. It's time for us to move on. And it's time for the church here to move on into something new.
Of course it won't be the same. How tedious that would be, if life were always the same? It will be something new. An undiscovered country. Blessings as yet unrevealed. Pursue it with all your hearts, be hopeful, patient and faithful, and, as I've heard Bill Farren often say from this pulpit, 'You'll be glad that you did!”
To God's name be the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Rocks and Keys
Readings: Psalm 124, Exodus 1:8-2:10, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16: 13-20
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on August 24, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Rocks and keys. Two of the images of faith that Jesus offers the disciples after they have come to confess their faith in Him as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Rocks and keys.
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (verse 18)
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (verse 19)
Peter has to be one of my favorite characters in the bible. His experience seems to mirror so many of our experiences on our Christian journey. One minute we get it right, the next we get it hopelessly wrong. One step forward, one step back.... but somehow, by the grace of God we’re still getting somewhere.
Peter never comes across as ‘holier than thou’. He’s very much flesh and blood. One minute prepared to risk his life to save his friend Jesus, the next denying that he ever knew Him. One minute on a mountain witnessing the glory of Christ, the next being accused as a mouthpiece of Satan for trying to talk Jesus out of the cross.
It encourages me to think that it is from the so human material of people like Peter that Christ promises to build a church against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. It gives me hope that if someone like Peter can have a rock-like faith then maybe such a faith is not beyond the likes of you and me.
It’s also a hopeful picture that Jesus is prepared to give Peter the keys. Keys are a symbol of responsibility. A parent isn’t going to hand over the keys of their new car to a teenage child until they are pretty sure that the kid is a responsible driver. You don’t give your house keys to total strangers. Jesus is prepared to hand over the keys to people like Peter.
The rock and the keys had a deeper significance that wouldn’t be lost on the disciples. One of the Jewish terms to describe God was that God was the ‘Rock of Israel’. The Israelites taunted other nations because, “Their rock is not like our Rock; our enemies are fools”... it’s almost a childish play on words, “Our Rock’s bigger than your rock!”
The Psalmist says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and my stronghold.” After telling a story about two men building on different sorts of foundations, Jesus said; “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
To build our lives on the rock is to build our lives on faith in Jesus Christ. There’s a hymn that says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Peter came to a point where he confessed his faith in Jesus Christ. The foundation was laid. There was something to build on.
Peter came to a conclusion that led to his confession of Christ as the Son of God in two ways. Firstly he was able to intellectually sort out the difference between the teaching of Jesus and other viewpoints that were around at the time. Jesus wasn’t another Elijah or just another prophet. He was so much more. Jesus wasn’t just another religious figure in a long line, He was the One the others were looking for!
Never mind that some said this and some said that, when Jesus turned the question around and challenged the disciples, “Well, what about you, who do you say that I am?”, Peter was ready with an answer, because he had weighed up all the experiences that being a disciple was laying at his feet and had come to the conclusion that Jesus was startlingly different. He was the Son of God.
Secondly, Jesus congratulates Peter for his spiritual discernment. ‘Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”’ (verse 17). God had been at work in Peters mind and heart. By laying his flesh and blood life open to God, something supernatural took place in Peter’s heart and soul life.
We can come to rock-like faith in a similar way. We have to use our minds to think things through. We also have to use our hearts. It is the strange mystery of faith that when there is an offering of ourselves to God, it places us in a position where God reveals more of God’s self to us. We can’t simply reason our way into faith. We have to leave room for the Grace of God to reveal the depth of love that Christ has for us.
When God gracefully grants to us glimpses of His great love then something in us has to respond with joyful acceptance. As we respond, so we stand on a solid foundation. The sad fact is that so many in our world do not build their lives on a faith foundation.
What do people build their lives on? You can probably think of many things. Some build on financial security. Some just go from one experience to the next. Some are just out for what ever they can get. Some are taken in by all sorts of weird and wonderful beliefs and philosophies.
What about us? Are we any different? As I look into my own life I find a complicated web of desires and needs. There is that part of you that wants to be the hero. There is the inner child who needs to be loved. There are experiences of rejection and pain that have left their scars. There are acts of obedience and actions of sinfulness. There are areas of uncertainty and unknowing.
Thankfully God knows what's going on inside of us. Better than we do. God's not confused about what we need to build our lives on. We need God's love. We need God's forgiveness. We need God's help. We need God's hope. We need the rock to build on. We need the Rock that is Jesus Christ. Nothing else, nowhere else, nobody else can give us the security of faith that Jesus offers.
He's not just the rock, He is also the key. When we come to a point of confessing belief in Jesus Christ it is a key that opens so many things to us. It opens the door for God to work in our lives. It opens windows of grace. It opens up areas in our lives through which light can shine to others.
The Old Testament speaks of a key known as the key of the house of David. There is a passage in Isaiah 22:20-25 that talks of an unfaithful steward to whom a word of prophecy comes ;- "I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your post. On that day I will call my servant ..and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand.... I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. "
In giving the keys to Peter, Jesus parallels the words of Isaiah saying to Peter "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (verse 9) To be given the keys is to be given particular responsibility. To confess faith in Christ is to take on a commitment. A confession of faith in Christ (no matter how poetically worded or strongly spoken) counts for nothing unless it results in a changed life. If you are given the keys there has to be a corresponding level of responsibility. If I gave you the keys of my car, I would want you to drive carefully.
What a thought. Trust. God trusts us! God trusts the work of His Kingdom to those who make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. That's what was happening to Peter when Jesus gave him the keys. "Here, you drive". God has entrusted the whole work of Christ to His people, the Church. Does that surprise you, to think that God trusts us? Half the time we can't even trust ourselves and a whole lot of the time we don't trust others. Trustworthy people are hard to find.
As a church here in Baldwin you have reached a new intersection in this congregations journey. And it is time for you to trust each other and trust in God. It is a time for considering what the foundation of your faith together actually is. If it be anything other than the love that is shared in Christ it may turn out to be a shaky foundation. But upon the foundation you have othing to fear.
Likewise the keys for the future of this congregation are now in your hands. Today, Jesus holds out the keys of the Kingdom. "Here, take these, I trust you. You're driving". God is trusting us to build our lives upon the rock of faith in God. He wants us to take that responsibility upon ourselves. That's why He's giving the keys to us, not to someone else.
For sure we'll make mistakes. For sure their will be experiences that make us feel like giving the keys back. For sure there will be disappointments and setbacks. That's why we need a rock to stand on. That's why when we confess, "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God" we have to back up our words with the full force of the way we live. We have a responsibility.
A responsibility to be faithful in worship. A responsibility to study and learn the Word of God. A responsibility to pray and serve. A responsibility to care and share. A responsibility to live abundantly and give abundantly.
Rocks and Keys.
Christ holds out to us the keys.
Let us go from this place
And build our lives upon the confession of faith
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
AMEN.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on August 24, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Rocks and keys. Two of the images of faith that Jesus offers the disciples after they have come to confess their faith in Him as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Rocks and keys.
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (verse 18)
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (verse 19)
Peter has to be one of my favorite characters in the bible. His experience seems to mirror so many of our experiences on our Christian journey. One minute we get it right, the next we get it hopelessly wrong. One step forward, one step back.... but somehow, by the grace of God we’re still getting somewhere.
Peter never comes across as ‘holier than thou’. He’s very much flesh and blood. One minute prepared to risk his life to save his friend Jesus, the next denying that he ever knew Him. One minute on a mountain witnessing the glory of Christ, the next being accused as a mouthpiece of Satan for trying to talk Jesus out of the cross.
It encourages me to think that it is from the so human material of people like Peter that Christ promises to build a church against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. It gives me hope that if someone like Peter can have a rock-like faith then maybe such a faith is not beyond the likes of you and me.
It’s also a hopeful picture that Jesus is prepared to give Peter the keys. Keys are a symbol of responsibility. A parent isn’t going to hand over the keys of their new car to a teenage child until they are pretty sure that the kid is a responsible driver. You don’t give your house keys to total strangers. Jesus is prepared to hand over the keys to people like Peter.
The rock and the keys had a deeper significance that wouldn’t be lost on the disciples. One of the Jewish terms to describe God was that God was the ‘Rock of Israel’. The Israelites taunted other nations because, “Their rock is not like our Rock; our enemies are fools”... it’s almost a childish play on words, “Our Rock’s bigger than your rock!”
The Psalmist says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and my stronghold.” After telling a story about two men building on different sorts of foundations, Jesus said; “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
To build our lives on the rock is to build our lives on faith in Jesus Christ. There’s a hymn that says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Peter came to a point where he confessed his faith in Jesus Christ. The foundation was laid. There was something to build on.
Peter came to a conclusion that led to his confession of Christ as the Son of God in two ways. Firstly he was able to intellectually sort out the difference between the teaching of Jesus and other viewpoints that were around at the time. Jesus wasn’t another Elijah or just another prophet. He was so much more. Jesus wasn’t just another religious figure in a long line, He was the One the others were looking for!
Never mind that some said this and some said that, when Jesus turned the question around and challenged the disciples, “Well, what about you, who do you say that I am?”, Peter was ready with an answer, because he had weighed up all the experiences that being a disciple was laying at his feet and had come to the conclusion that Jesus was startlingly different. He was the Son of God.
Secondly, Jesus congratulates Peter for his spiritual discernment. ‘Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”’ (verse 17). God had been at work in Peters mind and heart. By laying his flesh and blood life open to God, something supernatural took place in Peter’s heart and soul life.
We can come to rock-like faith in a similar way. We have to use our minds to think things through. We also have to use our hearts. It is the strange mystery of faith that when there is an offering of ourselves to God, it places us in a position where God reveals more of God’s self to us. We can’t simply reason our way into faith. We have to leave room for the Grace of God to reveal the depth of love that Christ has for us.
When God gracefully grants to us glimpses of His great love then something in us has to respond with joyful acceptance. As we respond, so we stand on a solid foundation. The sad fact is that so many in our world do not build their lives on a faith foundation.
What do people build their lives on? You can probably think of many things. Some build on financial security. Some just go from one experience to the next. Some are just out for what ever they can get. Some are taken in by all sorts of weird and wonderful beliefs and philosophies.
What about us? Are we any different? As I look into my own life I find a complicated web of desires and needs. There is that part of you that wants to be the hero. There is the inner child who needs to be loved. There are experiences of rejection and pain that have left their scars. There are acts of obedience and actions of sinfulness. There are areas of uncertainty and unknowing.
Thankfully God knows what's going on inside of us. Better than we do. God's not confused about what we need to build our lives on. We need God's love. We need God's forgiveness. We need God's help. We need God's hope. We need the rock to build on. We need the Rock that is Jesus Christ. Nothing else, nowhere else, nobody else can give us the security of faith that Jesus offers.
He's not just the rock, He is also the key. When we come to a point of confessing belief in Jesus Christ it is a key that opens so many things to us. It opens the door for God to work in our lives. It opens windows of grace. It opens up areas in our lives through which light can shine to others.
The Old Testament speaks of a key known as the key of the house of David. There is a passage in Isaiah 22:20-25 that talks of an unfaithful steward to whom a word of prophecy comes ;- "I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your post. On that day I will call my servant ..and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand.... I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. "
In giving the keys to Peter, Jesus parallels the words of Isaiah saying to Peter "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (verse 9) To be given the keys is to be given particular responsibility. To confess faith in Christ is to take on a commitment. A confession of faith in Christ (no matter how poetically worded or strongly spoken) counts for nothing unless it results in a changed life. If you are given the keys there has to be a corresponding level of responsibility. If I gave you the keys of my car, I would want you to drive carefully.
What a thought. Trust. God trusts us! God trusts the work of His Kingdom to those who make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. That's what was happening to Peter when Jesus gave him the keys. "Here, you drive". God has entrusted the whole work of Christ to His people, the Church. Does that surprise you, to think that God trusts us? Half the time we can't even trust ourselves and a whole lot of the time we don't trust others. Trustworthy people are hard to find.
As a church here in Baldwin you have reached a new intersection in this congregations journey. And it is time for you to trust each other and trust in God. It is a time for considering what the foundation of your faith together actually is. If it be anything other than the love that is shared in Christ it may turn out to be a shaky foundation. But upon the foundation you have othing to fear.
Likewise the keys for the future of this congregation are now in your hands. Today, Jesus holds out the keys of the Kingdom. "Here, take these, I trust you. You're driving". God is trusting us to build our lives upon the rock of faith in God. He wants us to take that responsibility upon ourselves. That's why He's giving the keys to us, not to someone else.
For sure we'll make mistakes. For sure their will be experiences that make us feel like giving the keys back. For sure there will be disappointments and setbacks. That's why we need a rock to stand on. That's why when we confess, "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God" we have to back up our words with the full force of the way we live. We have a responsibility.
A responsibility to be faithful in worship. A responsibility to study and learn the Word of God. A responsibility to pray and serve. A responsibility to care and share. A responsibility to live abundantly and give abundantly.
Rocks and Keys.
Christ holds out to us the keys.
Let us go from this place
And build our lives upon the confession of faith
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
AMEN.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Puppy Love
Readings: Genesis 45:1-15, Psalm 133, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, August 17th, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Back in the 1970's, when I was a young pup, there was an American invasion of the British pop charts. It was partly spearheaded by a band of rocking Mormons known as the 'Osmond Brothers'. The particular darling of the Osmond family, at least to all the teenage girls, was Donny. His picture, complete with immaculate hair and more shiny teeth than some us British guys had ever seen, adorned many a teenage girls room. His big hit in the U.K. was a sickly love ballad titled 'Puppy Love.'
'Puppy Love' had nothing to do with puppies but was about a love between two people that was disapproved of because they were too young. Needless to say, those of us who were young teenage guys, seeking to attract the attention of young teenage girls, were not impressed by Donny Osmond. How could we compete with someone who was so outside of the box we lived our lives in?
Our bible story this morning was about a woman, who as far as Jesus and the disciples were concerned, was an outsider. Almost everything about her life suggested she was not the kind of person who would spend time in the company of a Jewish rabbi and His entourage.
But she had a need. And she recognized that her need could only be met by the love of God in Christ. So she didn't give up until she had what she needed. Though she was completely outside the box, she talks to Jesus about puppy love. Even the dogs under the table got to eat the scraps that the children left behind. Wasn't she therefore entitled to a share in the love of God?
This outsider is approved by Jesus for having such great faith. The passage raises the question; What does it take to be a person of faith? What can we learn from this woman’s approach to God that can help us in our own faith journeys? How can we deepen our faith?
PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER
When it came to communication with Jesus this lady was not a quitter. Prayer is talking with Jesus, being in His presence and soaking up His truth. There are times when prayer can be one of the hardest things to do. It seems crazy that talking to God should sometimes be so hard, but we put all kinds of obstacles in the way.
We say we don’t have time, we have sneaking suspicions that God may not do as we ask (especially when we know we’re asking with ourselves rather than others in mind!) We sense, like the woman in our story, a reluctance on God’s part to enter into communication with us, that God is busy with a more important project than loving people like us.
But the Canaanite woman wouldn't give up. Though the disciples wanted to send her away, though Jesus ignored her and then said His mission was to Israel alone, she continued to cry out for help. She was like Abraham who wouldn't complacently go along with the plan when God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham haggled with God. Years later Moses ended up bargaining with God when the Lord got fed up with the children of Israel in the wilderness and wanted to destroy them.
This lady- like a lady who in a parable Jesus told elsewhere about a persistent widow and an unlistening judge - wouldn't take no for an answer. She wouldn't be ignored or put off. She pressed her case. Jesus responded to her persistent pestering cries and helped the woman and healed her child.
Why the delay? Why does Jesus at first take no notice of her request? Why is He so adamant in not helping this woman who obviously had a great need? He tells the woman, “"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." and that it wasn’t fair to throw food for children to the dogs!
Such harshness in the face of urgent need seems way out of character for Jesus. There has to be something else going on in this story. Maybe it is this. Earlier in the chapter Jesus has chastised the disciples for their lack of faith. Then, at the start of Chapter 15, he has a run in with the Pharisees over their inability to be true to their own man made commandments, calling them the ‘blind leading the blind’.
This encounter with an outsider provided Jesus with an unequaled opportunity to teach the disciples about genuine, authentic faith. There is an air of playfulness about the whole thing. There is an almost unwritten communication of trust and understanding between Jesus and the woman.
She calls Him, “Lord, Son of David”, an unusual title for a Gentile to use. She bargains with Him, an action considered way out of line for a woman at that time in history to take with a rabbinical teacher. It's all very good humored.
He seems, by His lack of response, to be coaxing her to reveal just how deep her convictions were that He was the One who could really help. And it is very effective. Ultimately He does heal her daughter. We are given a marvelous picture of how faith expresses itself through perseverance. So what does it take to be a person of faith? Perseverance in prayer. But we see in this passage that it also takes;
BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS
There were all sorts of reasons why this woman shouldn’t be bothering Jesus. Theological barriers. Cultural barriers. Racial and Social Barriers. Her faith broke them down. For us to be people of faith we have to break down the barriers that we feel separate us from God.
‘How we understand God’ or to use the technical term, ‘theology’ matters, because it can either be a faith barrier or a faith builder. Because the Gentile woman had the right idea about Jesus her faith was something real. If we get the wrong idea about Jesus, faith doesn’t happen. If we don't understand what Jesus can do, then our expectations of how His Holy Spirit can work in our lives can be at a very low ebb.
It doesn't have to be that way. We can read in the gospels about the things He does, we can open our own hearts to Him and ask God's Holy Spirit to work in our life, we can lay our life before Him in worship - these things are faith builders that break down the theological barriers of unbelief.
We are all culturally and socially conditioned by the age in which we live. We have come to expect certain things as rights and privileges, that in the first century just wouldn’t apply. We are very much encouraged to focus on our selves, on our immediate needs, making ourselves centers of our own universes, on having temporary experiences rather than building long term commitments. We trust in ‘experts’ to solve our problems, we try and find happiness in material rather than spiritual things. If something is on T.V. we believe it’s true. These things can be barriers to faith. We need to recognize the barriers for what they are, move beyond them and replace them with faith builders.
One of the biggest barriers in our faith journey can be our attitude towards others. It was certainly a problem for the first disciples who told Jesus to send the Gentile woman away - as she wasn’t 'one of them'. Through this woman they were being taught to...
ABANDON ALL PREJUDICE
In the kingdom of God there is no us and them. It’s just us. And that ‘Us’ includes black,white and every shade in-between, rich and poor, male and female, young and old, high church and low church, those we agree with and those we don’t, from every nation, culture, ethnic group and social background you can think of. That’s a lot of ‘us’.
The church has always struggled with the problem of us and them. The disciple Peter struggled with it when God called him to go and preach to the Gentiles. He had a vision of a blanket full of, what were to him, unclean foods and heard God telling him, “Go eat that stuff Peter, don’t be calling unclean what I say is clean!”
There were tensions caused in many early congregations by those who felt that Christians should be more Jewish than Gentile. Throughout history there have been battles over slavery and freedom, over ethnicity, over the equality of women and men in ministry.
Often these struggles have mirrored events that were going in the wider world. The voice of God never seems to be limited to the church but resounds throughout all Creation. Currently many denominations are struggling over issues of the sanctity of life and the role of sexuality, a struggle for understanding that has been going on for many years. The scary thing about prejudice is that we often never recognize it in our self. Harboring prejudice is a faith blocker not a faith builder. The Canaanite woman went beyond prejudices.
She was a woman. They were men. She was a Gentile. They were Jews. She had a demon possessed child. They had cast out demons. They were the insiders. She was the outsider. She shows that faith can overcome deepest prejudice. Her story invites us to see life through other peoples eyes, to walk in their shoes... indeed to see all others, those whom we count as friends and those we call outcasts... as people for whom Jesus Christ suffered and died upon the cross for.
This story is a fascinating observation into the nature of truth faith. We see how a gentile woman, an outsider, has a deeper grasp on the reality of faith than the disciples of Jesus, (who desire for her to be excluded from God's people). We witness how she uses her wit and understanding to engage Jesus in conversation and how Jesus playfully uses their dialogue to teach a lesson about true faith.
Persistent prayer. She didn't give up! She kept asking. P.U.S.H - Pray Until Something happens.
Breaking down barriers. Theological barriers, cultural barriers, racial and social barriers. Her understanding of God was that God was bigger than barriers.
Abandoning all prejudice. She recognized that God loved all people. That in God's Kingdom the differences that separate us have no significance. All are welcome!
As a church community entering a time of discernment for the future, take note of this ladies faith. Be persistent in your prayers. Have faith that God can work in unexpected ways, beyond the barriers we self impose. Maintain a big heart that welcomes new insights and new ideas for the future. Don't allow any prejudices to cloud your vision or hinder the work of God's Spirit.
As individuals this passage calls us to be faith focused, barrier overcoming, non-prejudicial witnesses to the love of God that has found us in Jesus Christ. It encourages us to keep asking questions. To be playful as well as prayerful. To engage all our wit, imagination and love in pursuing the things of God's kingdom. May God help us all to have a faith like that of this anonymous Canaanite woman. And to God's name be all glory. Amen
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, August 17th, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Back in the 1970's, when I was a young pup, there was an American invasion of the British pop charts. It was partly spearheaded by a band of rocking Mormons known as the 'Osmond Brothers'. The particular darling of the Osmond family, at least to all the teenage girls, was Donny. His picture, complete with immaculate hair and more shiny teeth than some us British guys had ever seen, adorned many a teenage girls room. His big hit in the U.K. was a sickly love ballad titled 'Puppy Love.'
'Puppy Love' had nothing to do with puppies but was about a love between two people that was disapproved of because they were too young. Needless to say, those of us who were young teenage guys, seeking to attract the attention of young teenage girls, were not impressed by Donny Osmond. How could we compete with someone who was so outside of the box we lived our lives in?
Our bible story this morning was about a woman, who as far as Jesus and the disciples were concerned, was an outsider. Almost everything about her life suggested she was not the kind of person who would spend time in the company of a Jewish rabbi and His entourage.
But she had a need. And she recognized that her need could only be met by the love of God in Christ. So she didn't give up until she had what she needed. Though she was completely outside the box, she talks to Jesus about puppy love. Even the dogs under the table got to eat the scraps that the children left behind. Wasn't she therefore entitled to a share in the love of God?
This outsider is approved by Jesus for having such great faith. The passage raises the question; What does it take to be a person of faith? What can we learn from this woman’s approach to God that can help us in our own faith journeys? How can we deepen our faith?
PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER
When it came to communication with Jesus this lady was not a quitter. Prayer is talking with Jesus, being in His presence and soaking up His truth. There are times when prayer can be one of the hardest things to do. It seems crazy that talking to God should sometimes be so hard, but we put all kinds of obstacles in the way.
We say we don’t have time, we have sneaking suspicions that God may not do as we ask (especially when we know we’re asking with ourselves rather than others in mind!) We sense, like the woman in our story, a reluctance on God’s part to enter into communication with us, that God is busy with a more important project than loving people like us.
But the Canaanite woman wouldn't give up. Though the disciples wanted to send her away, though Jesus ignored her and then said His mission was to Israel alone, she continued to cry out for help. She was like Abraham who wouldn't complacently go along with the plan when God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham haggled with God. Years later Moses ended up bargaining with God when the Lord got fed up with the children of Israel in the wilderness and wanted to destroy them.
This lady- like a lady who in a parable Jesus told elsewhere about a persistent widow and an unlistening judge - wouldn't take no for an answer. She wouldn't be ignored or put off. She pressed her case. Jesus responded to her persistent pestering cries and helped the woman and healed her child.
Why the delay? Why does Jesus at first take no notice of her request? Why is He so adamant in not helping this woman who obviously had a great need? He tells the woman, “"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." and that it wasn’t fair to throw food for children to the dogs!
Such harshness in the face of urgent need seems way out of character for Jesus. There has to be something else going on in this story. Maybe it is this. Earlier in the chapter Jesus has chastised the disciples for their lack of faith. Then, at the start of Chapter 15, he has a run in with the Pharisees over their inability to be true to their own man made commandments, calling them the ‘blind leading the blind’.
This encounter with an outsider provided Jesus with an unequaled opportunity to teach the disciples about genuine, authentic faith. There is an air of playfulness about the whole thing. There is an almost unwritten communication of trust and understanding between Jesus and the woman.
She calls Him, “Lord, Son of David”, an unusual title for a Gentile to use. She bargains with Him, an action considered way out of line for a woman at that time in history to take with a rabbinical teacher. It's all very good humored.
He seems, by His lack of response, to be coaxing her to reveal just how deep her convictions were that He was the One who could really help. And it is very effective. Ultimately He does heal her daughter. We are given a marvelous picture of how faith expresses itself through perseverance. So what does it take to be a person of faith? Perseverance in prayer. But we see in this passage that it also takes;
BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS
There were all sorts of reasons why this woman shouldn’t be bothering Jesus. Theological barriers. Cultural barriers. Racial and Social Barriers. Her faith broke them down. For us to be people of faith we have to break down the barriers that we feel separate us from God.
‘How we understand God’ or to use the technical term, ‘theology’ matters, because it can either be a faith barrier or a faith builder. Because the Gentile woman had the right idea about Jesus her faith was something real. If we get the wrong idea about Jesus, faith doesn’t happen. If we don't understand what Jesus can do, then our expectations of how His Holy Spirit can work in our lives can be at a very low ebb.
It doesn't have to be that way. We can read in the gospels about the things He does, we can open our own hearts to Him and ask God's Holy Spirit to work in our life, we can lay our life before Him in worship - these things are faith builders that break down the theological barriers of unbelief.
We are all culturally and socially conditioned by the age in which we live. We have come to expect certain things as rights and privileges, that in the first century just wouldn’t apply. We are very much encouraged to focus on our selves, on our immediate needs, making ourselves centers of our own universes, on having temporary experiences rather than building long term commitments. We trust in ‘experts’ to solve our problems, we try and find happiness in material rather than spiritual things. If something is on T.V. we believe it’s true. These things can be barriers to faith. We need to recognize the barriers for what they are, move beyond them and replace them with faith builders.
One of the biggest barriers in our faith journey can be our attitude towards others. It was certainly a problem for the first disciples who told Jesus to send the Gentile woman away - as she wasn’t 'one of them'. Through this woman they were being taught to...
ABANDON ALL PREJUDICE
In the kingdom of God there is no us and them. It’s just us. And that ‘Us’ includes black,white and every shade in-between, rich and poor, male and female, young and old, high church and low church, those we agree with and those we don’t, from every nation, culture, ethnic group and social background you can think of. That’s a lot of ‘us’.
The church has always struggled with the problem of us and them. The disciple Peter struggled with it when God called him to go and preach to the Gentiles. He had a vision of a blanket full of, what were to him, unclean foods and heard God telling him, “Go eat that stuff Peter, don’t be calling unclean what I say is clean!”
There were tensions caused in many early congregations by those who felt that Christians should be more Jewish than Gentile. Throughout history there have been battles over slavery and freedom, over ethnicity, over the equality of women and men in ministry.
Often these struggles have mirrored events that were going in the wider world. The voice of God never seems to be limited to the church but resounds throughout all Creation. Currently many denominations are struggling over issues of the sanctity of life and the role of sexuality, a struggle for understanding that has been going on for many years. The scary thing about prejudice is that we often never recognize it in our self. Harboring prejudice is a faith blocker not a faith builder. The Canaanite woman went beyond prejudices.
She was a woman. They were men. She was a Gentile. They were Jews. She had a demon possessed child. They had cast out demons. They were the insiders. She was the outsider. She shows that faith can overcome deepest prejudice. Her story invites us to see life through other peoples eyes, to walk in their shoes... indeed to see all others, those whom we count as friends and those we call outcasts... as people for whom Jesus Christ suffered and died upon the cross for.
This story is a fascinating observation into the nature of truth faith. We see how a gentile woman, an outsider, has a deeper grasp on the reality of faith than the disciples of Jesus, (who desire for her to be excluded from God's people). We witness how she uses her wit and understanding to engage Jesus in conversation and how Jesus playfully uses their dialogue to teach a lesson about true faith.
Persistent prayer. She didn't give up! She kept asking. P.U.S.H - Pray Until Something happens.
Breaking down barriers. Theological barriers, cultural barriers, racial and social barriers. Her understanding of God was that God was bigger than barriers.
Abandoning all prejudice. She recognized that God loved all people. That in God's Kingdom the differences that separate us have no significance. All are welcome!
As a church community entering a time of discernment for the future, take note of this ladies faith. Be persistent in your prayers. Have faith that God can work in unexpected ways, beyond the barriers we self impose. Maintain a big heart that welcomes new insights and new ideas for the future. Don't allow any prejudices to cloud your vision or hinder the work of God's Spirit.
As individuals this passage calls us to be faith focused, barrier overcoming, non-prejudicial witnesses to the love of God that has found us in Jesus Christ. It encourages us to keep asking questions. To be playful as well as prayerful. To engage all our wit, imagination and love in pursuing the things of God's kingdom. May God help us all to have a faith like that of this anonymous Canaanite woman. And to God's name be all glory. Amen
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Faith or Fear?
Readings: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28, Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b, Romans 10:5-15, Matthew 14:22-33
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on August 10th, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on August 10th, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Most of us at some time in our life have walked on the water. That it happened to be water that was frozen into ice is merely a scientific detail. That we first ensured that the thickness of the ice was of a consistency to support our weight is testimony to our own common sense. Yet I can still say, with full assurance of conviction, that we do - under certain circumstances - possess water walking faith.
Now if that's all there was to our lives; rational generalizations that led to confident, overcoming faith, life would be a breeze. Things are not that simple. There are other forces at work. There is fear as well as faith. Our bible story today shows how fear and faith can often get mixed up together.
One thing that the Hebrew people were really afraid of was the sea. For the Hebrews the sea was an image of chaos. It was a place where unpredictable things took place. Nobody knew what scary monsters lived in its depths. In the book of Revelation heaven is described as a place without sea. That's how much the Hebrews disliked the sea! We still use the expression when life gets a little crazy of being 'all at sea'. Images of shipwreck, like that of the so called unsinkable Titanic, remind us that the oceans are a dangerous place where people lose their lives.
Matthew's gospel gives us the story of the disciples being all at sea, all alone, when a great storm blows up. A big storm and a little boat meant one thing - big trouble. They are doing everything they can to take control of the situation. Some of them were seasoned fishermen and had a degree of expertise in this area. But it's getting worse!
You can almost picture the scene. Matthew the tax collector, white as a sheet, huddled in a corner saying his prayers. Judas, in charge of the moneybag, huddling it close to himself, so that if they did go down, he'd take the money with him. Peter running around shouting orders at everybody. "James, pull that sail in, Andrew start bailing that water out the back.. John.. you're looking a bit green there.. uh, oh, stay out of John's way a minute...Philip, steer into the waves or this thing will go over.."
Peter had a lot of faith. He had faith in his fellow crew mates. He had faith that they hadn't left everything behind to follow Jesus to end their days, as the song in Bedknobs and Broomsticks says, "Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea." If the storm wasn't enough, then things start to get really scary.
In the midst of the wind and waves, the disciples start to point and stare! "Looks like somebody’s walking this way. How can that be? We're nowhere near the land! What's going on? I don't like this!" Hear how Matthew describes the disciple’s reaction.
"When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." (Matthew 14:26-27).
The first reaction of the disciples to Jesus coming to them, is not faith, but fear. And fear causes us to do the stupidest things. Fear causes us to make the wrong decisions. Fear blocks out the voice of reason. Peter was very afraid. He hated not to be the one in control.
So there's Jesus, on His way to be with the disciples, telling them not to be afraid, in control of things. Is Peter content to listen to what Jesus was saying? "Don't be afraid" The rest of the disciples seem content to do so. Not Peter. He has to put things to the test. " Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
The story of Peter reaching out to Jesus and taking a few steps on the water has traditionally been seen as an example of what you can do if only you have enough faith. I tend to think of it a different way. If Peter had really been faithful he would never have got out of the boat! If Peter really had faith he would have stayed where he was.
Getting out of a little boat in the middle of a big storm when help was immanently arriving strikes me as stupid. If Peter had been coming from a position of faith, he would have accepted the assurance of Christ, to ‘be not afraid’, and waited in the boat till Jesus was on board. There's a children's chorus that says, "With Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm, smile at the storm, smile at the storm." It's not so easy to smile at the storm when you've just jumped out of the boat.
God, in God's mercy, is incredibly indulgent. If, by allowing us to do something stupid, God can teach us something important, God takes that opportunity. When Peter challenges Jesus to prove Himself; by giving Peter the power to be a water walker, Peter is taught an important lesson. Rather than playing god and taking matters into his own hands, he had to learn to wait for God's promises to take effect.
There's some background to this. In the mythology of other religious traditions and in that of the Hebrews, only One had power over the wind and waves; only One could triumph over the power of the deep... and that One was God. Such a miracle was a sign of Divine Presence. Only God could part the Red Sea, hold back its waters for the Israelites to pass safely through. Only God had the power.
By asking to walk on the water for himself, Peter, from his position of fear, was saying, "The only way out of this bad situation is if you let me play god for a while, let me walk on the water.... then I will believe". Jesus actually calls Peter to get out of the boat, and play god. And for a few steps, it looks like a miracle. But as soon as Peter realizes his foolishness, glug, glug, glug glug.
The question this passage poses isn't "Do we have enough faith to walk on water?" The challenge is, "Do we have enough faith to stay in the boat, knowing that Jesus is coming to help, trusting in His voice that promises us peace, and believing that those who wait upon the Lord shall be saved?"
If our faith were measured by our ability to do such things as walk on the water, turn water into wine and raise the dead then we would be in deep trouble. Faith is not a quantity but a quality. Faith is about the quality of relationship we have with God. Faith is holding onto the belief, that despite the chaotic circumstances surrounding our lives, God’s word is living and active and heading in our direction.
Get the wrong idea about faith and it can land you in deep water. Ask Peter. Making like we are gods and we can solve all our problems for ourselves is not going to carry us through. Pretty soon the chaos will have us submerged back into our fears.
We must allow Jesus time to come walking into our storms. He has promised to be with us. Believe that promise. "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Take the time for Him to walk into your storm. Take the time to let him sit in your boat. The prophet Isaiah says, "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Our passage finishes by telling us what happened once Jesus and the now much humbled and rather wet Peter were back on board. “When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (14:32-33)
The restoring of calm led to a sense of worship and an affirmation of faith. Faith generates faith. Every situation that we work through with God prepares us for the next situation that comes our way. On the other hand, fear commits us to inappropriate actions, blocks out the comforting words of Christ, and fools us into believing we can save ourselves.
We can be so foolish. Like Peter we think we can play god. Like Peter, so often we don’t hear nor believe the promises of Jesus Christ. The storms we are going through and the fears we wrestle with, block out the words. So we get over the side, take a few steps and then find ourselves sinking... out of our depth, worse off than we were before.
It was then that Jesus held out His hand to Peter. And Peter grasped the hand of Jesus and was saved. Maybe our situation isn’t that of Peter. But we are all capable of being knocked hopelessly out of depth by the storms life brings our way.
Don’t be fearful, be faithful. Jesus is reaching out to us.
Let us take His hand and get back in the boat.
Let us learn from our own and others mistakes.
Let us not be people motivated by fear, but those who walk by faith.
Remember the ice.
In the right situation we can all walk on water!
The Reverend Adrian J Pratt B.D.
Now if that's all there was to our lives; rational generalizations that led to confident, overcoming faith, life would be a breeze. Things are not that simple. There are other forces at work. There is fear as well as faith. Our bible story today shows how fear and faith can often get mixed up together.
One thing that the Hebrew people were really afraid of was the sea. For the Hebrews the sea was an image of chaos. It was a place where unpredictable things took place. Nobody knew what scary monsters lived in its depths. In the book of Revelation heaven is described as a place without sea. That's how much the Hebrews disliked the sea! We still use the expression when life gets a little crazy of being 'all at sea'. Images of shipwreck, like that of the so called unsinkable Titanic, remind us that the oceans are a dangerous place where people lose their lives.
Matthew's gospel gives us the story of the disciples being all at sea, all alone, when a great storm blows up. A big storm and a little boat meant one thing - big trouble. They are doing everything they can to take control of the situation. Some of them were seasoned fishermen and had a degree of expertise in this area. But it's getting worse!
You can almost picture the scene. Matthew the tax collector, white as a sheet, huddled in a corner saying his prayers. Judas, in charge of the moneybag, huddling it close to himself, so that if they did go down, he'd take the money with him. Peter running around shouting orders at everybody. "James, pull that sail in, Andrew start bailing that water out the back.. John.. you're looking a bit green there.. uh, oh, stay out of John's way a minute...Philip, steer into the waves or this thing will go over.."
Peter had a lot of faith. He had faith in his fellow crew mates. He had faith that they hadn't left everything behind to follow Jesus to end their days, as the song in Bedknobs and Broomsticks says, "Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea." If the storm wasn't enough, then things start to get really scary.
In the midst of the wind and waves, the disciples start to point and stare! "Looks like somebody’s walking this way. How can that be? We're nowhere near the land! What's going on? I don't like this!" Hear how Matthew describes the disciple’s reaction.
"When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." (Matthew 14:26-27).
The first reaction of the disciples to Jesus coming to them, is not faith, but fear. And fear causes us to do the stupidest things. Fear causes us to make the wrong decisions. Fear blocks out the voice of reason. Peter was very afraid. He hated not to be the one in control.
So there's Jesus, on His way to be with the disciples, telling them not to be afraid, in control of things. Is Peter content to listen to what Jesus was saying? "Don't be afraid" The rest of the disciples seem content to do so. Not Peter. He has to put things to the test. " Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
The story of Peter reaching out to Jesus and taking a few steps on the water has traditionally been seen as an example of what you can do if only you have enough faith. I tend to think of it a different way. If Peter had really been faithful he would never have got out of the boat! If Peter really had faith he would have stayed where he was.
Getting out of a little boat in the middle of a big storm when help was immanently arriving strikes me as stupid. If Peter had been coming from a position of faith, he would have accepted the assurance of Christ, to ‘be not afraid’, and waited in the boat till Jesus was on board. There's a children's chorus that says, "With Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm, smile at the storm, smile at the storm." It's not so easy to smile at the storm when you've just jumped out of the boat.
God, in God's mercy, is incredibly indulgent. If, by allowing us to do something stupid, God can teach us something important, God takes that opportunity. When Peter challenges Jesus to prove Himself; by giving Peter the power to be a water walker, Peter is taught an important lesson. Rather than playing god and taking matters into his own hands, he had to learn to wait for God's promises to take effect.
There's some background to this. In the mythology of other religious traditions and in that of the Hebrews, only One had power over the wind and waves; only One could triumph over the power of the deep... and that One was God. Such a miracle was a sign of Divine Presence. Only God could part the Red Sea, hold back its waters for the Israelites to pass safely through. Only God had the power.
By asking to walk on the water for himself, Peter, from his position of fear, was saying, "The only way out of this bad situation is if you let me play god for a while, let me walk on the water.... then I will believe". Jesus actually calls Peter to get out of the boat, and play god. And for a few steps, it looks like a miracle. But as soon as Peter realizes his foolishness, glug, glug, glug glug.
The question this passage poses isn't "Do we have enough faith to walk on water?" The challenge is, "Do we have enough faith to stay in the boat, knowing that Jesus is coming to help, trusting in His voice that promises us peace, and believing that those who wait upon the Lord shall be saved?"
If our faith were measured by our ability to do such things as walk on the water, turn water into wine and raise the dead then we would be in deep trouble. Faith is not a quantity but a quality. Faith is about the quality of relationship we have with God. Faith is holding onto the belief, that despite the chaotic circumstances surrounding our lives, God’s word is living and active and heading in our direction.
Get the wrong idea about faith and it can land you in deep water. Ask Peter. Making like we are gods and we can solve all our problems for ourselves is not going to carry us through. Pretty soon the chaos will have us submerged back into our fears.
We must allow Jesus time to come walking into our storms. He has promised to be with us. Believe that promise. "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Take the time for Him to walk into your storm. Take the time to let him sit in your boat. The prophet Isaiah says, "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Our passage finishes by telling us what happened once Jesus and the now much humbled and rather wet Peter were back on board. “When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (14:32-33)
The restoring of calm led to a sense of worship and an affirmation of faith. Faith generates faith. Every situation that we work through with God prepares us for the next situation that comes our way. On the other hand, fear commits us to inappropriate actions, blocks out the comforting words of Christ, and fools us into believing we can save ourselves.
We can be so foolish. Like Peter we think we can play god. Like Peter, so often we don’t hear nor believe the promises of Jesus Christ. The storms we are going through and the fears we wrestle with, block out the words. So we get over the side, take a few steps and then find ourselves sinking... out of our depth, worse off than we were before.
It was then that Jesus held out His hand to Peter. And Peter grasped the hand of Jesus and was saved. Maybe our situation isn’t that of Peter. But we are all capable of being knocked hopelessly out of depth by the storms life brings our way.
Don’t be fearful, be faithful. Jesus is reaching out to us.
Let us take His hand and get back in the boat.
Let us learn from our own and others mistakes.
Let us not be people motivated by fear, but those who walk by faith.
Remember the ice.
In the right situation we can all walk on water!
The Reverend Adrian J Pratt B.D.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Be Still and Know (Communion)
Readings: Psalm 37:1-8, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Mark 9: 2-8, John 8:2-11
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, August 3, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Ecclesiastes 3:7 "There is a time for silence and a time for talk"
There are times when saying nothing can communicate a lot more than using words. Words are not always the best vehicle to express things. As part of our communion service we have time for silence and reflection. We should make the most of such times as, sadly, with the pace of modern life, such moments are all to few.
As we come to the table I would like to reflect on some times, recorded in Scripture, when words were inappropriate.
Casting the first stone..
JOHN 8:2-11
The account of the woman caught in adultery. The teachers of the law and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus saying that because of her behavior the law demanded she should be stoned to death. They are talking at Him, rather than to Him. He bends over and starts writing something in the sand. Then He straightens up and challenges them, "O.K. Which ever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her". He bends down and starts writing in the sand again.
Slowly people put down their stones and quietly walk away. Jesus looks around. Everybody's gone. He asks the woman, "Is there no one left to condemn you?"
"No" she replies.
"Well, then, I don't condemn you either, go on your way and sin no more!"
If we were in the crowd, clamoring for justice, would we have qualified to throw the first stone? Who amongst us could say they have committed no sin?
The silence is a telling moment. It reminds us that not one of us is good enough to come into God's presence. It reminds us that we are all sinners in need of the grace and mercy of God. The passage also talks of the forgiveness of Jesus towards unworthy people. "I do not condemn you, now go, but sin no more"
In the silent moments around our communion celebration there is time to think about the sort of people we have become, to examine ourselves and put ourselves to the test and realize we are not all we could or all we should be.
As we reflect on the symbols, they speak of the forgiveness of Jesus who was crucified for our sakes, the bread… His broken body, the wine… His poured out life. We come to the table, not professing our innocence but because we need the renewing touch of God upon our lives.
On Trial
Mark 14 & 15
My second passages are found in Marks gospel, where Jesus is put on trial, firstly in Mark 14, before the Council, secondly, in Mark 15, before Pilate. During these trials Jesus is being lied against and accused of all manner of conflicting things. Jesus enemies are desperately trying to cook up evidence to have Him condemned. But every single accusation they throw at Him is met with a response of silence.
Before the council we read, "Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word" (Mark 14:61)
Before Pilate, "Pilate questioned Him again, "Aren't you going to answer. Listen to all their accusations." Again Jesus refused to say a word and Pilate was amazed." (Mark 15:14-15)
For Jesus to have protested His innocence would have been a waste of breath. That's how much hatred and animosity there was towards Him at that point in time. Whatever He said would be twisted and used against Him. Yet even to Pilate, His innocence was crystal clear. Pilate, according to Mark 15:10 "Knew very well that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because of their jealousy". By not speaking Jesus said more than words could ever express.
The love of God is put on trial by every generation. People dismiss Jesus as irrelevant, the gospel as out dated, the church as a lost cause. We can shout out against God, we can rebel against God’s will, if we so desire. But through the silence our empty words will echo unceasingly and rebound upon us.
In the simple act of breaking bread and sharing wine, though nothing is spoken, a great deal is said. We share communion in the setting of a world which still has little room for the Son of God. We need not offer words in His defense. By celebrating His life around a communion table we say a lot more than words could ever express. 'For as often you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim His death until He comes.'
Peter... Be quiet!
Mark 9: 2-8
Our third passage concerns the Mount of Transfiguration, that time Jesus went up a mountain with Peter, James and John, and on the mountain top, Jesus is transfigured before their eyes and they witness Him talking with Elijah and Moses in the midst of a cloud.
That was some scary stuff! The disciples were totally awed by what they saw happening before them. They should have kept their mouths shut. But Peter started to ramble."Wow, Lord, this is gggrreatt! Is it good to be here or what? I've got it, I've got it, Let's put up three big tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, one for Jesus, and people can come up here,, and... and.."
"Peter - Be quiet". He was scared. He wanted to capture the moment for all time for everyone. He didn't really understand the significance of the event before their eyes, that it was something to prepare them for the days that lay ahead when Jesus would be crucified and rise again. Words weren't called for. It was a time for silence, not for talk. Talk was simply inappropriate.
I often think of communion in the same way. It doesn't matter how carefully you explain it, how you describe it, what you make of it. It is something that can't be framed by words. It is not something we can capture or crystallize. It's an ongoing holy mystery.
It's a place over the years where people’s hearts have been melted like wax before a flame, sin confronted, lives renewed and changed as they have taken bread and wine in the faith that here was a meeting place with God. Words may speak to the mind but communion speaks to the heart.
Silence can be a noisy thing. Ever heard the expressions, "a deafening silence" or a "roaring silence"? Silence can make us aware of conflicts within ourselves and bring to mind thoughts that trouble rather than comfort.
"Be still and know that I am God"
is translated in some bibles as
"Stop fighting and know that I am God".
When we have fighting's within we need the touch of God's Holy Spirit to sort us out. As we be still before God, may we know God is God, our Father, Our Creator. As we take the elements of bread and wine, may we know the assurance that Jesus is our Savior and know His love as a present reality able to touch the depths of our lives.
Friends… Be still. Be still. Be still.
The wisdom of Ecclesiastes is right on target.
"There is a time for silence , a time for talk".
As we come to the Lord's table it is time to;
'Be still and know that God is God'.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, August 3, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Ecclesiastes 3:7 "There is a time for silence and a time for talk"
There are times when saying nothing can communicate a lot more than using words. Words are not always the best vehicle to express things. As part of our communion service we have time for silence and reflection. We should make the most of such times as, sadly, with the pace of modern life, such moments are all to few.
As we come to the table I would like to reflect on some times, recorded in Scripture, when words were inappropriate.
Casting the first stone..
JOHN 8:2-11
The account of the woman caught in adultery. The teachers of the law and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus saying that because of her behavior the law demanded she should be stoned to death. They are talking at Him, rather than to Him. He bends over and starts writing something in the sand. Then He straightens up and challenges them, "O.K. Which ever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her". He bends down and starts writing in the sand again.
Slowly people put down their stones and quietly walk away. Jesus looks around. Everybody's gone. He asks the woman, "Is there no one left to condemn you?"
"No" she replies.
"Well, then, I don't condemn you either, go on your way and sin no more!"
If we were in the crowd, clamoring for justice, would we have qualified to throw the first stone? Who amongst us could say they have committed no sin?
The silence is a telling moment. It reminds us that not one of us is good enough to come into God's presence. It reminds us that we are all sinners in need of the grace and mercy of God. The passage also talks of the forgiveness of Jesus towards unworthy people. "I do not condemn you, now go, but sin no more"
In the silent moments around our communion celebration there is time to think about the sort of people we have become, to examine ourselves and put ourselves to the test and realize we are not all we could or all we should be.
As we reflect on the symbols, they speak of the forgiveness of Jesus who was crucified for our sakes, the bread… His broken body, the wine… His poured out life. We come to the table, not professing our innocence but because we need the renewing touch of God upon our lives.
On Trial
Mark 14 & 15
My second passages are found in Marks gospel, where Jesus is put on trial, firstly in Mark 14, before the Council, secondly, in Mark 15, before Pilate. During these trials Jesus is being lied against and accused of all manner of conflicting things. Jesus enemies are desperately trying to cook up evidence to have Him condemned. But every single accusation they throw at Him is met with a response of silence.
Before the council we read, "Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word" (Mark 14:61)
Before Pilate, "Pilate questioned Him again, "Aren't you going to answer. Listen to all their accusations." Again Jesus refused to say a word and Pilate was amazed." (Mark 15:14-15)
For Jesus to have protested His innocence would have been a waste of breath. That's how much hatred and animosity there was towards Him at that point in time. Whatever He said would be twisted and used against Him. Yet even to Pilate, His innocence was crystal clear. Pilate, according to Mark 15:10 "Knew very well that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because of their jealousy". By not speaking Jesus said more than words could ever express.
The love of God is put on trial by every generation. People dismiss Jesus as irrelevant, the gospel as out dated, the church as a lost cause. We can shout out against God, we can rebel against God’s will, if we so desire. But through the silence our empty words will echo unceasingly and rebound upon us.
In the simple act of breaking bread and sharing wine, though nothing is spoken, a great deal is said. We share communion in the setting of a world which still has little room for the Son of God. We need not offer words in His defense. By celebrating His life around a communion table we say a lot more than words could ever express. 'For as often you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim His death until He comes.'
Peter... Be quiet!
Mark 9: 2-8
Our third passage concerns the Mount of Transfiguration, that time Jesus went up a mountain with Peter, James and John, and on the mountain top, Jesus is transfigured before their eyes and they witness Him talking with Elijah and Moses in the midst of a cloud.
That was some scary stuff! The disciples were totally awed by what they saw happening before them. They should have kept their mouths shut. But Peter started to ramble."Wow, Lord, this is gggrreatt! Is it good to be here or what? I've got it, I've got it, Let's put up three big tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, one for Jesus, and people can come up here,, and... and.."
"Peter - Be quiet". He was scared. He wanted to capture the moment for all time for everyone. He didn't really understand the significance of the event before their eyes, that it was something to prepare them for the days that lay ahead when Jesus would be crucified and rise again. Words weren't called for. It was a time for silence, not for talk. Talk was simply inappropriate.
I often think of communion in the same way. It doesn't matter how carefully you explain it, how you describe it, what you make of it. It is something that can't be framed by words. It is not something we can capture or crystallize. It's an ongoing holy mystery.
It's a place over the years where people’s hearts have been melted like wax before a flame, sin confronted, lives renewed and changed as they have taken bread and wine in the faith that here was a meeting place with God. Words may speak to the mind but communion speaks to the heart.
Silence can be a noisy thing. Ever heard the expressions, "a deafening silence" or a "roaring silence"? Silence can make us aware of conflicts within ourselves and bring to mind thoughts that trouble rather than comfort.
"Be still and know that I am God"
is translated in some bibles as
"Stop fighting and know that I am God".
When we have fighting's within we need the touch of God's Holy Spirit to sort us out. As we be still before God, may we know God is God, our Father, Our Creator. As we take the elements of bread and wine, may we know the assurance that Jesus is our Savior and know His love as a present reality able to touch the depths of our lives.
Friends… Be still. Be still. Be still.
The wisdom of Ecclesiastes is right on target.
"There is a time for silence , a time for talk".
As we come to the Lord's table it is time to;
'Be still and know that God is God'.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Wheat or Weed?
Readings: Genesis 28:10-19a, Psalm 139:1-12, 23-2, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on July 20 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Light - Darkness
Hope - Despair
Faith - Unbelief
Good - Evil
God - Devil
Beauty - Ugliness
Commitment - Apathy
Truth - Lies
All these things, mixed together, are forces that shape our world, shape our beliefs and shape our lives. Wouldn't it be great if we could throw out all the negatives and only have the positives?
There were those who, when Jesus came along and people started saying, 'This is it, He's the Messiah, God with us', thought that's exactly what Jesus would do - get rid of the bad and make the world a place filled only with the good things and the good people with good intentions.
In particular they identified the bad and evil side of life with the occupying, godless, Gentile, Romans who controlled the Jewish homelands. Surely God knew what sort of people they were and surely it was time they got what was coming to them. Jesus would raise up a mighty army of the righteous to drive them out of the land and restore to the throne a King like David, ruler of Israel and champion of the World; Jesus, the Mighty warrior King, who took no prisoners and wiped the scum off the face of the earth.
Now don't think that this idea of Jesus being some great political King of all Creation is confined to a few misguided individuals a couple thousand years ago in Jerusalem. Throughout the churches history there have been numerous groups, even nations, who saw the Kingdom of God in terms of earthly domination and political power.
Around 312 AD Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the State religion of the empire and intended to force it on the whole world. With Jesus on His side how could he lose? I dare say a policy of 'Be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit or I'll beat your brains out’ may create nominal church members, but it doesn't make for genuine disciples! 'Conquer the world for Christ and Constantine' proved a rousing battle cry - but ultimately the Roman Empire crumbled in the dust.
In the Middle Ages the Crusaders waged war against the infidels in an attempt to wipe the Christ-Killers and Christ-Cursers from the planet and reclaim the Holy Land for God's holy ones. Instead their empires collapsed and the Holy Lands remain claimed by opposing religious and political groups as their rightful home.
When any nation sets itself up as the being the one most likely to usher in the reign of God, you can be sure of one thing. Trouble. Both in the world and in the nation. The Kingdom of God is not meant to be some great nationalistic political force that wipes all out all other kingdoms and eradicates all the negatives by the irresistible force of the positives.
There have been those, who in the belief that most of the world is so hopelessly tainted by evil that it is beyond being redeemed, have taken a different stand. They have interpreted the command to "Be in the world but not of the world" by seeking to withdraw from the world altogether.
They were around in Judaism at the time of Jesus earthly ministry. The ‘Essennes’ were a Jewish Sect who led a monastic existence out in the desert. In an attempt to guard their souls from corruption they simply tried to get away from everything and start over again, regulating their lives by strict rules.
The Christian Church has embraced this idea throughout its history. Groups of folk have renounced all earthly pleasures, and withdrawn from the world to pray and study the teachings of Christianity, usually by following the rule of a particular teacher or Reformer. Sometimes their withdrawal from the world has produced great treasures for the world in terms of creativity and spirituality. Some times such communities have indeed been an oasis of holiness within a corrupt church and society. Yet not always.
Others found that monasticism was not enough of a withdrawal and sought to live a solitary life as hermits or lone pilgrims. But they discovered an uncomfortable truth, a truth that many also discovered in their ordered existence in monastic communities. Withdrawal from the world was no escape!
Light and darkness, hope and despair, faith and unbelief, commitment and apathy, truth and lies; they weren't just aspects of life out there in the wicked world; they were forces that were shaping their own personal worlds, their own internal kingdoms. The prayer "Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” became 'Thy Kingdom come in my heart as in the heart of Christ'.
This Kingdom business was the problem. Wasn't the coming Kingdom supposed to solve everything? If a person invited Jesus into their hearts wouldn't that mean no more problems, no more struggles, dead to the world, alive to Christ, grace would drive out the devil and godliness would be victorious?
Matthew's gospel talks a lot about the Kingdom. At times Matthew is gloriously ambiguous. Yes, the Kingdom had come in Jesus, but no, it wasn't here yet. Yes, you are citizens of the Kingdom, but no, you won't always live that way. Many Christians feel that tension in their spiritual lives! St Paul writes of how he longs to do the right, but often seemed to do the wrong thing.
Let's remind ourselves of the parable Jesus told us about the Kingdom in today's reading.
Matthew Chapter 13 beginning at verse 24 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well."
The Servants want to cut the whole thing down, the wheat and the weeds, but Jesus tells them, "Let both of them grow together until the harvest". The harvest, He later explains to the disciples “is the end of the age", a time when collected out of the Kingdom will be "all causes of sin and all evildoers” leaving "the righteous to shine like the sun".
To the Kingdom seekers who wanted Jesus to blow away the opposition and remove from their own lives every taint of darkness, this was not a good news parable. There would be no resounding once and for all victory. There would be no sudden overthrow of the forces of evil. There would continue to be, as Jesus elsewhere says, ‘Wars and rumors of wars’, they would ‘always have the poor with them’; the final harvest would come, but not yet.
The world today continues to have places of wonder and alleys of cruelty. The families we are born into can bring us great joy, but also great pain. Our churches can be one moment inspiring and courageous and the next moment petty and faithless. In our own lives we have moments of inspirational faith and moments of crashing failure. Good mixes in with bad.
Are we then lost forever in a hopelessly compromised world? Not at all. We are not told to be passive in the face of evil. It is not a divine command that we ignore injustice in the world, or violence in society or evil in the church. The parable is a realistic reminder that those who seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ do not have the ability to get rid of all the weeds and that sometimes trying to do so causes more harm than good.
Are any of you like me in the sense of being botanically challenged? My late mum back in Great Britain had a wonderful garden. However, growing up, she never encouraged me to help with the weeding. Sometimes what looked like a weed to me turned out to be some prize bloom. I’d pull it out and throw it on the fire. What I thought was a flower turned out to be the weed so I left it there. You can imagine my mum’s anguished cry as she surveyed her patch of prize weeds blowing in the breeze - “What have you done to my garden!”
In a similar way we are incredibly undiscerning when it comes to the things of God’s Garden in the world. If judgment were left up to us, then a lot of mistakes would be made. I’m glad that at the final harvest it is a righteous, loving, holy God who calls the shots.
If we try and elude the wicked world by withdrawing into our own little shells or even going our own solitary way, we will find that the good and the bad still resonate within us. We can not escape them. But we can decide whether we are going to nurture the wheat or feed the weeds.
To feed the weeds we just have to go our own way and not take the time to care. To nurture the wheat is to concentrate on those things that build us up in our faith.
Things like worship and being faithful members of our church communities and prayer and service and getting to know God’s Word. Things like looking after each other and helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
As to saving the world by systematically eradicating every stronghold of darkness, .... forget it. That’s not what the Kingdom of God is about. There is going to be wheat and there are going to be weeds and we are not always going to even know the difference between them.
150 years ago there were those who predicted that by the 21st Century Christianity would have taken the world, poverty would be eradicated, war at an end and Christ enthroned as King of the nations. The daily news never fails to remind us that the wheat and the weeds are still growing together.
All is not lost. If we can concentrate on doing the good we know, then by the grace of God, the Spirit of God will nurture our lives and we will see good things springing up in all sorts of unexpected places. That’s how it seemed to work for the first disciples. So that’s how it’s meant to work for us. In Christ’s name let us seek to make it so.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on July 20 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
Light - Darkness
Hope - Despair
Faith - Unbelief
Good - Evil
God - Devil
Beauty - Ugliness
Commitment - Apathy
Truth - Lies
All these things, mixed together, are forces that shape our world, shape our beliefs and shape our lives. Wouldn't it be great if we could throw out all the negatives and only have the positives?
There were those who, when Jesus came along and people started saying, 'This is it, He's the Messiah, God with us', thought that's exactly what Jesus would do - get rid of the bad and make the world a place filled only with the good things and the good people with good intentions.
In particular they identified the bad and evil side of life with the occupying, godless, Gentile, Romans who controlled the Jewish homelands. Surely God knew what sort of people they were and surely it was time they got what was coming to them. Jesus would raise up a mighty army of the righteous to drive them out of the land and restore to the throne a King like David, ruler of Israel and champion of the World; Jesus, the Mighty warrior King, who took no prisoners and wiped the scum off the face of the earth.
Now don't think that this idea of Jesus being some great political King of all Creation is confined to a few misguided individuals a couple thousand years ago in Jerusalem. Throughout the churches history there have been numerous groups, even nations, who saw the Kingdom of God in terms of earthly domination and political power.
Around 312 AD Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the State religion of the empire and intended to force it on the whole world. With Jesus on His side how could he lose? I dare say a policy of 'Be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit or I'll beat your brains out’ may create nominal church members, but it doesn't make for genuine disciples! 'Conquer the world for Christ and Constantine' proved a rousing battle cry - but ultimately the Roman Empire crumbled in the dust.
In the Middle Ages the Crusaders waged war against the infidels in an attempt to wipe the Christ-Killers and Christ-Cursers from the planet and reclaim the Holy Land for God's holy ones. Instead their empires collapsed and the Holy Lands remain claimed by opposing religious and political groups as their rightful home.
When any nation sets itself up as the being the one most likely to usher in the reign of God, you can be sure of one thing. Trouble. Both in the world and in the nation. The Kingdom of God is not meant to be some great nationalistic political force that wipes all out all other kingdoms and eradicates all the negatives by the irresistible force of the positives.
There have been those, who in the belief that most of the world is so hopelessly tainted by evil that it is beyond being redeemed, have taken a different stand. They have interpreted the command to "Be in the world but not of the world" by seeking to withdraw from the world altogether.
They were around in Judaism at the time of Jesus earthly ministry. The ‘Essennes’ were a Jewish Sect who led a monastic existence out in the desert. In an attempt to guard their souls from corruption they simply tried to get away from everything and start over again, regulating their lives by strict rules.
The Christian Church has embraced this idea throughout its history. Groups of folk have renounced all earthly pleasures, and withdrawn from the world to pray and study the teachings of Christianity, usually by following the rule of a particular teacher or Reformer. Sometimes their withdrawal from the world has produced great treasures for the world in terms of creativity and spirituality. Some times such communities have indeed been an oasis of holiness within a corrupt church and society. Yet not always.
Others found that monasticism was not enough of a withdrawal and sought to live a solitary life as hermits or lone pilgrims. But they discovered an uncomfortable truth, a truth that many also discovered in their ordered existence in monastic communities. Withdrawal from the world was no escape!
Light and darkness, hope and despair, faith and unbelief, commitment and apathy, truth and lies; they weren't just aspects of life out there in the wicked world; they were forces that were shaping their own personal worlds, their own internal kingdoms. The prayer "Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” became 'Thy Kingdom come in my heart as in the heart of Christ'.
This Kingdom business was the problem. Wasn't the coming Kingdom supposed to solve everything? If a person invited Jesus into their hearts wouldn't that mean no more problems, no more struggles, dead to the world, alive to Christ, grace would drive out the devil and godliness would be victorious?
Matthew's gospel talks a lot about the Kingdom. At times Matthew is gloriously ambiguous. Yes, the Kingdom had come in Jesus, but no, it wasn't here yet. Yes, you are citizens of the Kingdom, but no, you won't always live that way. Many Christians feel that tension in their spiritual lives! St Paul writes of how he longs to do the right, but often seemed to do the wrong thing.
Let's remind ourselves of the parable Jesus told us about the Kingdom in today's reading.
Matthew Chapter 13 beginning at verse 24 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well."
The Servants want to cut the whole thing down, the wheat and the weeds, but Jesus tells them, "Let both of them grow together until the harvest". The harvest, He later explains to the disciples “is the end of the age", a time when collected out of the Kingdom will be "all causes of sin and all evildoers” leaving "the righteous to shine like the sun".
To the Kingdom seekers who wanted Jesus to blow away the opposition and remove from their own lives every taint of darkness, this was not a good news parable. There would be no resounding once and for all victory. There would be no sudden overthrow of the forces of evil. There would continue to be, as Jesus elsewhere says, ‘Wars and rumors of wars’, they would ‘always have the poor with them’; the final harvest would come, but not yet.
The world today continues to have places of wonder and alleys of cruelty. The families we are born into can bring us great joy, but also great pain. Our churches can be one moment inspiring and courageous and the next moment petty and faithless. In our own lives we have moments of inspirational faith and moments of crashing failure. Good mixes in with bad.
Are we then lost forever in a hopelessly compromised world? Not at all. We are not told to be passive in the face of evil. It is not a divine command that we ignore injustice in the world, or violence in society or evil in the church. The parable is a realistic reminder that those who seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ do not have the ability to get rid of all the weeds and that sometimes trying to do so causes more harm than good.
Are any of you like me in the sense of being botanically challenged? My late mum back in Great Britain had a wonderful garden. However, growing up, she never encouraged me to help with the weeding. Sometimes what looked like a weed to me turned out to be some prize bloom. I’d pull it out and throw it on the fire. What I thought was a flower turned out to be the weed so I left it there. You can imagine my mum’s anguished cry as she surveyed her patch of prize weeds blowing in the breeze - “What have you done to my garden!”
In a similar way we are incredibly undiscerning when it comes to the things of God’s Garden in the world. If judgment were left up to us, then a lot of mistakes would be made. I’m glad that at the final harvest it is a righteous, loving, holy God who calls the shots.
If we try and elude the wicked world by withdrawing into our own little shells or even going our own solitary way, we will find that the good and the bad still resonate within us. We can not escape them. But we can decide whether we are going to nurture the wheat or feed the weeds.
To feed the weeds we just have to go our own way and not take the time to care. To nurture the wheat is to concentrate on those things that build us up in our faith.
Things like worship and being faithful members of our church communities and prayer and service and getting to know God’s Word. Things like looking after each other and helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
As to saving the world by systematically eradicating every stronghold of darkness, .... forget it. That’s not what the Kingdom of God is about. There is going to be wheat and there are going to be weeds and we are not always going to even know the difference between them.
150 years ago there were those who predicted that by the 21st Century Christianity would have taken the world, poverty would be eradicated, war at an end and Christ enthroned as King of the nations. The daily news never fails to remind us that the wheat and the weeds are still growing together.
All is not lost. If we can concentrate on doing the good we know, then by the grace of God, the Spirit of God will nurture our lives and we will see good things springing up in all sorts of unexpected places. That’s how it seemed to work for the first disciples. So that’s how it’s meant to work for us. In Christ’s name let us seek to make it so.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, June 30, 2014
MOUNT MORIAH – Place of sacrifice
Readings: Psalm 13, Romans 6:12-23, Matthew 10:40-42, Genesis 22:1-14
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on June 29th, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
This morning’s scripture reading gave us the familiar, but shocking, account of God’s call for Abraham to sacrifice his son of divine promise, Isaac. What kind of God would ask that of anybody? What kind of father would consider actually going through with such an act?
In our contemporary setting, it is probably this aspect of the story that troubles us more than others; that Abraham is prepared to kill his child and do so with the justification that “God told him” to do it. At first glance it seems scandalous to suggest that we can learn anything from this passage about the love of God or the responsibility of those who put their faith in God.
But we need to dig deeper. We need to allow this account to speak to us from within its’ historical context, not interpret it according to the morality and expectations of the 21st Century. This is not an account that seeks to justify the abuse of children. On the contrary the climax of the story is the fact that Abraham does not go through with the murder of his son.
As far as revealing the character of God, this passage certainly suggests that God is more 'unknowable' and 'unpredictable' and a lot less ‘safer’ than the Deity we sometimes seek to define and imprison within our carefully worded theologies and doctrines.
The core of this story is that it’s about sacrifice. It suggests that to fulfill our destiny as the people of God, requires surrendering our dreams to God. It is a passage echoed in the words of Jesus to His disciples “To find yourself, you have to lose yourself”.
Applying this bible passage to the story of our own lives, it suggests to us that if our dreams are ever to be fulfilled then we need to let go of them. This fly’s in the face of conventional wisdom which tells us that if we are going to achieve anything great in life we have to hold on to our dreams with all that we are!
Abraham, though possessed by a dream – a dream that he was to be the father of a great nation – a dream that through his son Isaac such things were to be fulfilled – Abraham was not to put his faith in the dream, but in the God who gave the dream. Abraham had to take a ‘hands off’ approach if ever that dream were to become a reality.
It’s a spiritual principle that is hard to see. We so easily confuse our own desires with what God desires for us. It’s a spiritual principle, that before God can truly use a gift God has given us, we have to be prepared to give it up.
In my own life the thing that comes to mind is music. I was weaned on the Beatles and in my teens loved to play in bands and dream of maybe one day making a bit of money out of it. Some of the folk I grew up with succeeded in doing just that.
Becoming a Christian didn’t mean my musical hopes went away. On the contrary I then had the desire to use my skills for God’s glory. This was back in the seventies where in the area of the United Kingdom I lived in the idea of Christian Contemporary music hadn’t yet been dreamed up. So I formed a Christian band... and everything went really well and I thanked God for giving me this ministry of music which excited me and seemed to be working.
No sooner had such thoughts entered my mind then the whole thing fell apart. I felt God calling me to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament and I didn’t see how the two could work together. And I was really mad about it. This had been what I lived for up till then. The band. The music. I loved it!
This is what happened. I reached a point where I got on my knees and said to God, 'O.K. Lord. I don’t see the sense in this. I don’t understand why you would gift me with something and then take it away... but go on... take it… I’ll rip up every song I’ve ever written, I’ll sell the guitar and the instruments and I’ll never play a note again.'
I wasn’t fooling. I wasn’t playing games. I loved the music, but I loved God more. I sensed that spiritually if I didn’t sacrifice what I felt was one of the most blessed gifts God had given to me, then I could no longer be of use to God or anybody else. So I was convinced that I had to give it all up.
Having reached that point where I was prepared to give the whole thing up, it was as though God said, 'Just Testing. Just wanted to see what was really important in your life. Music or me! Now that we’ve set that straight, keep the guitar, O.K?'
The crazy thing is that since that time hardly a season has gone by when music hasn’t played a part of what I’ve been doing. I find myself playing music, writing songs, leading worship at Retreats, playing in church... in all sorts of unexpected little ways music has been a part of the ministry God has called me to.
Once I’d abandoned the dream of music being my ministry, God was able to use my musical abilities in the way God wanted to. As long as my hand was on the wheel, it was an idol, a sacred cow, a passion not under God’s complete control. I had to let it go!
Something of that seemed to have been going on with Abraham. He had to let go of the dream before it could ever be fulfilled. Nothing could be allowed to take the place in the heart that God was meant to occupy. Abraham needed to see that. We need to see it too. So I suggest to you that this account is about 'Seeing God'. Through his willingness to sacrifice what was closest to his heart Abraham broke through to a deeper revelation of God and to a heightened sense of God’s presence around him and within him.
The action takes place specifically on a mountain named ‘Moriah’. In Hebrew Moriah translates as ‘The Lord Provides’ or ‘The Lord Sees'. On a number of different occasions in the passage the idea of ‘seeing’ is mentioned. This ‘seeing’ is both on the part of God and the part of Abraham.
It is God who 'sees' the place and the content of Abraham’s sacrifice. It is God who directs Abraham towards that place. It is God who looks deep into the heart of Abraham and 'sees' that this test of faith that he is being subjected to will result in Abraham having a deeper fellowship with God than he had ever experienced. Abraham’s 'seeing' comes by the way of obedience to what he believes God is showing to him. Abraham goes to the place God has shown him. Abraham recognizes the importance of sacrifice in this meeting he has with God.
At the stories conclusion, Abraham clearly sees that God did not require the sacrifice of Isaac, and it cements his trust in the God whom he had now encountered in a deeper and more powerful way than ever before. In the context of what I was saying earlier about my own dreams, music was my ‘Isaac’. I had to be bought to a place where I was prepared to sacrifice it, before God could use it.
As you think about your life, do you have an 'Isaac'? Is there a dream that is in your heart that takes precedence over doing the will of God? Where’s your passion? What has God gifted you with? And … what if God wants something more for you? Are you prepared to lay your heart on the altar and do with your life whatever God wants?
Or are we setting the conditions? Is our commitment to God along the lines of 'God, I’ll do whatever you want me to, I’ll go wherever you want me to, I’ll be whatever you want me to… just as long as I get to set the terms and define the conditions and specify the game-plan!' Whose hand is on the driving wheel of our life? Who’s steering our course? Who’s the Lord? Who’s the Master?
I do not believe that God would call us to do anything as unspeakable as sacrificing one of our children. I do though believe that God calls us to sacrifice our dreams on the altar of His love, in order that our whole lives can be under God’s care and guidance. Mount Moriah was the place of sacrifice.
As most of you know, we have a congregational meeting this morning after worship that has to do with myself being in transition from one church to another. Letting go of what you love is never easy. I have been greatly blessed by this congregation. You are a wonderful group of people and do some amazing things. It has been hard to even think about leaving. But time moves on, circumstances change and we have to go where we feel God is leading us as we sense the guidance of God's Holy Spirit. That's never easy. It often involves sacrifice that leads us toward deeper commitment and fellowship with God.
So I pray for us all that there may be “Mount Moriah Moments” in our spiritual journey's. That there may be those moments when we realize that God sees and knows what is best for us and we, correspondingly are prepared to give our best to God.
To God's name be the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on June 29th, 2014
A printable PDF file can be found here
This morning’s scripture reading gave us the familiar, but shocking, account of God’s call for Abraham to sacrifice his son of divine promise, Isaac. What kind of God would ask that of anybody? What kind of father would consider actually going through with such an act?
In our contemporary setting, it is probably this aspect of the story that troubles us more than others; that Abraham is prepared to kill his child and do so with the justification that “God told him” to do it. At first glance it seems scandalous to suggest that we can learn anything from this passage about the love of God or the responsibility of those who put their faith in God.
But we need to dig deeper. We need to allow this account to speak to us from within its’ historical context, not interpret it according to the morality and expectations of the 21st Century. This is not an account that seeks to justify the abuse of children. On the contrary the climax of the story is the fact that Abraham does not go through with the murder of his son.
As far as revealing the character of God, this passage certainly suggests that God is more 'unknowable' and 'unpredictable' and a lot less ‘safer’ than the Deity we sometimes seek to define and imprison within our carefully worded theologies and doctrines.
The core of this story is that it’s about sacrifice. It suggests that to fulfill our destiny as the people of God, requires surrendering our dreams to God. It is a passage echoed in the words of Jesus to His disciples “To find yourself, you have to lose yourself”.
Applying this bible passage to the story of our own lives, it suggests to us that if our dreams are ever to be fulfilled then we need to let go of them. This fly’s in the face of conventional wisdom which tells us that if we are going to achieve anything great in life we have to hold on to our dreams with all that we are!
Abraham, though possessed by a dream – a dream that he was to be the father of a great nation – a dream that through his son Isaac such things were to be fulfilled – Abraham was not to put his faith in the dream, but in the God who gave the dream. Abraham had to take a ‘hands off’ approach if ever that dream were to become a reality.
It’s a spiritual principle that is hard to see. We so easily confuse our own desires with what God desires for us. It’s a spiritual principle, that before God can truly use a gift God has given us, we have to be prepared to give it up.
In my own life the thing that comes to mind is music. I was weaned on the Beatles and in my teens loved to play in bands and dream of maybe one day making a bit of money out of it. Some of the folk I grew up with succeeded in doing just that.
Becoming a Christian didn’t mean my musical hopes went away. On the contrary I then had the desire to use my skills for God’s glory. This was back in the seventies where in the area of the United Kingdom I lived in the idea of Christian Contemporary music hadn’t yet been dreamed up. So I formed a Christian band... and everything went really well and I thanked God for giving me this ministry of music which excited me and seemed to be working.
No sooner had such thoughts entered my mind then the whole thing fell apart. I felt God calling me to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament and I didn’t see how the two could work together. And I was really mad about it. This had been what I lived for up till then. The band. The music. I loved it!
This is what happened. I reached a point where I got on my knees and said to God, 'O.K. Lord. I don’t see the sense in this. I don’t understand why you would gift me with something and then take it away... but go on... take it… I’ll rip up every song I’ve ever written, I’ll sell the guitar and the instruments and I’ll never play a note again.'
I wasn’t fooling. I wasn’t playing games. I loved the music, but I loved God more. I sensed that spiritually if I didn’t sacrifice what I felt was one of the most blessed gifts God had given to me, then I could no longer be of use to God or anybody else. So I was convinced that I had to give it all up.
Having reached that point where I was prepared to give the whole thing up, it was as though God said, 'Just Testing. Just wanted to see what was really important in your life. Music or me! Now that we’ve set that straight, keep the guitar, O.K?'
The crazy thing is that since that time hardly a season has gone by when music hasn’t played a part of what I’ve been doing. I find myself playing music, writing songs, leading worship at Retreats, playing in church... in all sorts of unexpected little ways music has been a part of the ministry God has called me to.
Once I’d abandoned the dream of music being my ministry, God was able to use my musical abilities in the way God wanted to. As long as my hand was on the wheel, it was an idol, a sacred cow, a passion not under God’s complete control. I had to let it go!
Something of that seemed to have been going on with Abraham. He had to let go of the dream before it could ever be fulfilled. Nothing could be allowed to take the place in the heart that God was meant to occupy. Abraham needed to see that. We need to see it too. So I suggest to you that this account is about 'Seeing God'. Through his willingness to sacrifice what was closest to his heart Abraham broke through to a deeper revelation of God and to a heightened sense of God’s presence around him and within him.
The action takes place specifically on a mountain named ‘Moriah’. In Hebrew Moriah translates as ‘The Lord Provides’ or ‘The Lord Sees'. On a number of different occasions in the passage the idea of ‘seeing’ is mentioned. This ‘seeing’ is both on the part of God and the part of Abraham.
It is God who 'sees' the place and the content of Abraham’s sacrifice. It is God who directs Abraham towards that place. It is God who looks deep into the heart of Abraham and 'sees' that this test of faith that he is being subjected to will result in Abraham having a deeper fellowship with God than he had ever experienced. Abraham’s 'seeing' comes by the way of obedience to what he believes God is showing to him. Abraham goes to the place God has shown him. Abraham recognizes the importance of sacrifice in this meeting he has with God.
At the stories conclusion, Abraham clearly sees that God did not require the sacrifice of Isaac, and it cements his trust in the God whom he had now encountered in a deeper and more powerful way than ever before. In the context of what I was saying earlier about my own dreams, music was my ‘Isaac’. I had to be bought to a place where I was prepared to sacrifice it, before God could use it.
As you think about your life, do you have an 'Isaac'? Is there a dream that is in your heart that takes precedence over doing the will of God? Where’s your passion? What has God gifted you with? And … what if God wants something more for you? Are you prepared to lay your heart on the altar and do with your life whatever God wants?
Or are we setting the conditions? Is our commitment to God along the lines of 'God, I’ll do whatever you want me to, I’ll go wherever you want me to, I’ll be whatever you want me to… just as long as I get to set the terms and define the conditions and specify the game-plan!' Whose hand is on the driving wheel of our life? Who’s steering our course? Who’s the Lord? Who’s the Master?
I do not believe that God would call us to do anything as unspeakable as sacrificing one of our children. I do though believe that God calls us to sacrifice our dreams on the altar of His love, in order that our whole lives can be under God’s care and guidance. Mount Moriah was the place of sacrifice.
As most of you know, we have a congregational meeting this morning after worship that has to do with myself being in transition from one church to another. Letting go of what you love is never easy. I have been greatly blessed by this congregation. You are a wonderful group of people and do some amazing things. It has been hard to even think about leaving. But time moves on, circumstances change and we have to go where we feel God is leading us as we sense the guidance of God's Holy Spirit. That's never easy. It often involves sacrifice that leads us toward deeper commitment and fellowship with God.
So I pray for us all that there may be “Mount Moriah Moments” in our spiritual journey's. That there may be those moments when we realize that God sees and knows what is best for us and we, correspondingly are prepared to give our best to God.
To God's name be the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
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